


Amira Wayne [Unclassified]

by AnjuSchiffer



Category: Maribat - Fandom
Genre: Gen, MariBat, b!dbwm2020, bio!dad bruce wayne, bio!dad bruce wayne month 2020, bio!dadbrucewaynemonth2020
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:01:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26313055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnjuSchiffer/pseuds/AnjuSchiffer
Summary: Deleted chapters/scenes from my other work "Amira Wayne"
Comments: 13
Kudos: 122





	1. Meeting the League - Deleted Chapter

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be the official Day 6 fic, but then I ended up changing the plot too much to be able to use it...
> 
> If I had followed my OG plot, then by this chapter, Bruce, Dick and Amira would still be in good terms, healthily healing from Jason's death.
> 
> Also, Tim would've be adopted by Bruce when Amira finds out that Tim has been severely neglected by his parents.

It was another boring day at the WatchTower, some of the heroes lounging around while those with proteges kept an eye on them. 

Wally was immersed into the new game Tim had brought in the other day, only for his ears to catch the sound of the zeta tube opening.

While his first thoughts were to ignore it, the voice of the person to whom had just come changed his mind.

“Hello everyone! Sorry for our delay! Batman has a few things to work out before coming here, so I hope these pastries make up for it.” 

“And you are?” Wonder Woman asked, wondering who this child was. 

“Diana. Barry. Arthur. Meet Ladybug, Batman’s war-“ Superman started, only to get cut off. 

“Bug!” Wally squealed with a grin on his face, running up to hug his favorite person in the world as soon as she finished handing the box over to Superman.

Sure, the two have only met a few times, but can you blame Wally? She made the best cookies in the world! And not only that, she was able to get on Batman’s good side! Batman even let her drive the Batmobile!

Ladybug erupted into a fiery pink blush, earning chuckles and giggles from some of the adults in the room. 

She quickly averted her eyes when she saw Bart and Uncle Kent smile at her, Diana giving her a knowing face. Arthur simply looked at her with confusion, Ladybug hoping he wouldn’t figure out why she seemed so familiar with him. 

“S-See too nice to you! I mean! Nice to-to see you too!” Ladybug stammered, hoping he wasn’t able to hear her heart. 

Who was she kidding? Of course he was probably able to hear her hearty happily thumping away. 

Wally finally let go of Ladybug, grinning at her. 

“You won’t believe who’s here!” Wally said with a smile, catching Amira’s attention. 

While this wasn’t Ladybug’s first time at the WatchTower, it certainly was her first time on her own and having to meet other League members. As far as Wally knew, Ladybug had only met Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Flash. And maybe Martian Manhunter...once. 

“Who?”

“Hal! You know? Green Lantern!” 

At those words, Ladybug gaped, a smile quickly overcoming it. 

“No way! This is probably the first time I’ll be able to properly meet him! Oh no!” Ladybug quickly brought her yo-yo to her face, checking for any flour left behind. “I want to make a good impression. Wally, do I look alright?” She asked as she put her yo-yo away. 

“Splendid as ever.” He replied with a grin, causing her to blush once more. 

“Careful there. Wouldn’t want Batman to hear those words towards his new ward.” Bart reminded Wally, taking a cookie from the box Ladybug had brought in for them. 

“Relax.” Wally assured, grabbing hold of Ladybug’s hand. “Now, let’s go and find Hal! He’ll be so excited to finally meet you!”

“I hope I make a good first impression.”

“He’s going to love you!” Wally said, giving her a toothy grin. “You’ll see.”

Wally and Ladybug ran through the doors, Flash and Wonder Woman following them, not wanting to miss the events that have yet to happen.

Arthur, meanwhile, fought with his thoughts, attempting to connect the dots in his mind. 

* * *

Bruce let out a sigh as he finally got to the WatchTower an hour and a half later, surprised to see Clark sitting near the Zeta Tube waiting area.

“Kent. What are you-”

“Waiting for you.” He quickly replied, handing Bruce a napkin, a bat shaped cookie on it. “Aside from Amira being a kind girl, she’s also quite the baker. Alfred must be happy to have a set of hands to help him around the kitchen.”

Clark had accidentally found out about Amira being Ladybug one foggy night while visiting Bruce. Clark was waiting for the man in his study when he caught her entering it via the window in full Ladybug costume. 

“Not only can she bake, but she also knows how to get the boys to listen to her with a single command.” Bruce said with a sigh, regretting letting Amira go ahead without him. Making sure that Dick wouldn’t go off solving cases without backup and for Tim to not wander into the BatCave by himself is what held him back. “So where is Amira?”

“Last I heard, she was busy arguing with Hal-”

“Jordan’s here?” Bruce asked, only then realising that two were heading towards the sparing room, hearing muffled shouts coming from the room.

“Knowing that Amira wanted to meet him, Wally offered to introduce her to him.” 

“And you let them?” Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, fully knowing the headache that was awaiting. “Let’s just hope-”

Bruce wasn’t expecting to see what he saw when he entered the room.

There, in front of them, Ladybug finished slamming a robot against the floor as a timer went off, the crowd cheering for their victor.

“That was amazing!” Bruce heard Wally shout, looking over to Ladybug, a prominent blush on her face as she held her hand in the air. Bruce wanted to throw a glare the boy’s way, but chose not too.

She let her hand drop to her side, feeling as her entire body almost fell down with it. She let herself take in big breaths of air, fully knowing she badly needed it.

“That’s the fifth time in row that I’ve beaten you.” Ladybug said after catching her breath. Sparring with robots was nothing compared to fighting her brothers...brother. She straightened herself up, doing a few bends to the side to calm down her aching body. “If you still want to go another round to try and prove-”

“Ladybug.” Bruce’s voice boomed, making everyone quiet down and causing Ladybug to harshly flinch.

“B-Batman.” She said, slowly turning to face. “I know you said that I should wait for you to arrive so that you can properly introduce me as your ward, but-”

“She’s your ward?” Hal asked, glancing between Batman and Ladybug. “Should’ve known.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Bruce asked, narrowing his eyes. 

“Using underhanded methods to destroy-” 

“I didn’t use any underhanded methods!” Ladybug defended, holding back a blush when she heard ‘She fought fair and square!’ from Wally. “Batman taught me how to make the most of my surroundings and of my abilities! He’s the one who taught me to access my situations instead of charging in...unlike you.”

“Excuse me? Are you-”

“Instigating that you solely rely too much on your ring’s power? Yes.” Ladybug said, stepping out of the ring. “Makes you think you’re invincible.”

“Not like you’re any different.” Hal retorted, pointing at Ladybug’s earrings. “Your earrings are also magical. As for how I know, I scanned it earlier. I know what they are.” Hal said with a smirk when he saw Ladybug scowl. 

“My earrings-”

“-are just like my ring.” Hal completed, walking up to Ladybug. “You too rely too much on your magical earrings.”

“No, I don’t.” Ladybug sternly said, straightening up. “And to prove it. Let’s have a simple sparring match. One round, no time limit. And to make things fair, no magical item for me since you believe I rely too much on it.”

Everyone watched as Ladybug went over to Bruce, who simply looked at his ward with pride. 

Everyone watched as Ladybug called off her transformation, watching as she held her earrings in her hand before giving them to Batman.

Wally’s jaw dropped at finding out that it was Amira behind the mask. 

“Dad, hold my earrings.”

“Dad?!” Hal yelled, wondering if this meant death. “Batman is-”

“My father? Yup. Name’s Marinette by the way,” Amira said, bowing her head as she said it. 

Wally looked at her in confusion. Wasn’t that Amira?

Technically, Amira wasn’t lying. “And before I forget, let me just tell you,” Marinette stepped into the ring, stretching her arms for the upcoming fight. “Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean you should underestimate me.”

* * *

“-and that hold you did at the end! That was...amazing!” Wally blabbered away, causing Amira to turn a shade redder than what she already was.

As soon as the match started, Hal wished he hadn’t challenged the young girl.

No matter how many times he would hold her down or throw her across the ring, she would never. Back. Down. Ever.

She fell on her back? Did a flip to get back up or twist her body to attack him from below, oftentimes kicking him in the jaw.

She rolled towards the edge of the ring? No problem. She simply stopped herself and went back to dodging Hal’s chains and weapons. He hated it when she would grab a chain and use it against him, or even better. She used it as a step stone to land a hit on him.

He hated her axe drops the most. That thing hurt like the devil.

He grabbed her? She would pull him towards her and knee him in the stomach or chest and then punch him square in the face. But wait! When she didn’t feel like doing that, she’d simply throw him towards her side and push him down, letting some distance go between them before she would flip towards him and do a dropkick on him.

Their fight continued until Amira landed the final blow. 

Hal was too late to notice the girl behind him, grinning at him like a madwoman.

Using his projectile as a foothold, Amira launched herself towards him, the heel of her foot connecting with his shoulder, causing him to fall onto the floor, Amira using that opportunity to grab Hal.

But Hal wasn’t going to go down that easily. 

Grabbing her arm, he attempted to tuck it behind her and hold her down, but she proved to be quicker than him.

She pulls him towards herself, placing his arm under his body, wrapping her legs around his body.

Hal felt his arm ache in pain from the unnatural stretching, the pressure on his back not helping his lack of breath. 

It also didn’t help that he also had pressure going against his chest due to Amira’s leg pushing his arm into his chest and her hands pulling his head into his compressed body.

His head was starting to become light, his vision starting to spin.

He wanted to breathe, but he just couldn’t. 

Feeling the last of his energy beginning to leave him, he tapped out, gasping for air when Amira released him.

“It wasn’t anything, really.” Amira finally replied to Wally, internally smiling as she recalled how smoothly her plan went.

With his focus on breathing, Hal’s concentration slipped from his ring, allowing Amira to guarantee her win. She slipped his ring off his finger temporarily, making sure that he wouldn’t attempt to use it as she waited for him to tap out.

When he did, she quickly slipped it back on, grinning as she claimed her victory.

_ But that was a low move, even for you. _

Yes, it was, but something had to be done to knock Hal off his pedestal.

“You think you could teach me how to-” 

“Sure!” Amira chirped, internally screaming at herself for saying that. “I'd be happy to teach-“

“Nightwing could teach you.” Batman cut off, causing Wally to shudder and Amira to giggle.

While her first meeting with Hal didn’t go as planned, she sure hopes they can spar with him again in the near future. It’s not everyday she was able to spar without having to hold out after all!

“Can’t wait until our next visit Father!” Amira said, quickly slipping into her Ladybug costume. “And I can’t wait to see you again.” Amira told Wally, waving to him as she stepped into the Zeta Tube.

While she enjoyed visiting the Tower, she couldn’t help but wonder how Jason would’ve reacted had he had the opportunity to see it himself. 


	2. Dating and Love - Deleted Scene

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a scene I was going to use for Day 15 but I ended up discarding it after I altered the plot line too much :'D

The plan went smoothly, too smoothly if you asked Amira.

Did her father have anything to do with this? Because if he did...let’s just say Amira might do a thing or two to the Batmobile’s color. A nice pearlescent paint would do. Wouldn’t see the pink until he hit the streets.

The Gala was no longer in full swing, the guests slowly retreating for the night. One by one, guests bid her and her family goodnight, giving her one last praise for the night to try and get into her good graces.

Amira simply smiled before waving goodbye, her rage wanting to seep out.

There was no way in hell she was going to date one of their snobby children or grandchildren. She had standards after all.

As the last guest leaving, or rather, deciding to stay, Amira let her father know that Uncle Kent was going to stay for the night. 

As she made her way to her father’s study, she couldn’t help but hear voices coming from the study, wondering who her father was talking to that they had to come to his study.

As she approached the door, she heard a chuckle followed by a giggle, Amira’s alarms going off.

She knew that chuckle anywhere...that giggle... Hell, she’s been hearing it all night!

Letting herself cool down, Amira entered the study as quietly as possible, her nose wrinkling upon seeing her father all over the woman. She did not need to see that. Pretending to have been on her phone, Amira let herself be known.

“Hey, Dad.” Oh how she wished she had a camera. That jump was priceless! “Uncle Kent said he was going to-oh! I...I didn’t know there was still a guest still lingering around.” Amira said as she looked up, holding back a grin. Oh the perfect blackmail material...where was Tim when you needed him?

“Amira! I didn’t hear you-”

“And whom might you be?” The woman asked, leaning against Bruce’s arm. Amira glared. “If I had to say, I think you’re-”

“Amira.” Amira introduced herself, her glare not leaving. She then turned to her father, Bruce looking back at her with the same expression. “I’m Bruce’s daughter, as you well know.”

“Are you then, one of his wards?” The woman asked.

“Biological.” Amira said with a smirk, liking how the woman looked at her and then at Bruce. “What about you Miss? What’s your name?”

Amira watched as the woman stretched her hand out towards her.

“Selina. My name is Selina Kyle. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Amira.” Finally?

When Amira took her hand, Amira tensed, flinging her hand away before taking a step back. 

“Just who are you?” Amira asked, reaching for her hidden knife on her hip. “Why do you have the hands of a-”

“Amira! There you are!” Dick basically bursted into the study, placing his hands on Amira. “Selina! Glad you were able to make it!”

“You know her?” Amira growled, Dick letting go of the baby bird, feeling a bead of sweat roll down his face. How he hated her glare. Looked way too familiar for comfort. “You knew...and you didn’t tell me?”

“Amira, I told Dick to-” Bruce started, stepping from Selina.

“To keep it hidden from me? When were you going to tell me? The wedding?” Amira asked, looking at Selina. “At this point, I’m not irritated at the fact that you’re dating an ex-villain, but rather-”

“You knew?” Bruce asked, glaring at Dick. Dick shook his head and left the room. This was Bruce’s problem, not his. He tried to warn him after all.

“Yeah...just two hours ago!” Amira yelled, throwing her arms in the air. Pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes, Amira decided to throw herself into one of the nearby chairs. “And don’t you dare try to leave through the window. I have someone monitoring your moves right now.” Amira said without opening her eyes. 

Surely enough, Selina’s hand was on the window latch, slowly moving away from it.

“Who told you?”

“Someone gave me a tip on who Selina truly was.” Amira said, not wanting to tell her father of Jason’s return from the dead. “But it took all night to figure out why she was here.” Amira opened a single eye. “Why didn’t you just tell me? Just what am I to you?”

“I needed to make sure-”

“Introducing her to me when you guys first started going out would’ve been nice!” Amira screamed, turning her attention to Selina. She got up and walked straight up to her. “When did you start dating my dad?”

“Hard to say.” Selina said. “Although I would say somewhere around the time you finished the fourth grade?” Selina provided, a small smile escaping her.

Amira knew what she was doing..and she hated that she fell for it.

“You damn cat!” Amira yelled, taking out her knife and aimed for her shoulder, only for Selina to simply step to the side.

Damn her and her side slit dress!

Amira fumbled over the hem of her own dress, toppling over it, falling towards the floor until she was pulled back up.

Amira felt herself being embraced, Amira quickly looking to see who caught her, growling when she saw it was Selina herself. 

Amira attempted to squirm out of Selina’s grasp, but felt herself come to a stop when Selina started to gently pat her head. She felt as she started to feel more calm, her muscles relaxing. Amira felt herself leaning into Selina’s hug, finding it quite comfortable in her arms. Her scent was like a warm blanket, reminding her much like the effects of hugging her father.

Being in Selina’s embrace, Amira wondered if this was what a mo-

Quickly realizing what she was about to ask herself, Amira pushed herself out of Selina’s grasp, not daring to look at Selina directly in the eyes. The heat in her cheeks failed to leave. 

Without saying another word, Amira left the study, quickly running off to her room.

Going to her drawing board, Amira quickly began to write down the pros and cons of Selina dating her father, her face still flushed from the most humiliating defeat in Amira’s 14 years of life.


	3. Last Name Wayne - Deleted Chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been waiting for so long to show this deleted chapter! Now that I’m done recycling some parts of this deleted chapter, I can finally show it!

The minute Marinette walked into the school, she knew something was off. She couldn’t quite place her finger on it, but it was there. Something was interrupting the equilibrium. 

As she made her way towards class, she couldn’t help but notice the increase in buzz throughout the halls. Marinette listened in on every conversation, noticing how the name Lila kept popping up.

“Lila?” She muttered to herself, placing her hand on her chin. Who exactly was-

“Seems like you’ve already heard about her.” Alya said from behind Marinette, throwing an arm over her shoulders. Alya redirected her attention to a girl on the second floor.

Marinette followed her gaze, seeing a girl with the most hideous hairstyle standing next to Adrien. If it weren’t for those -whatever they were- dangling from the side of her face, the girl would seem to know a thing for fashion. Why sort of? The polka dotted romper wasn’t exactly pleasing to the eye. 

“She just transferred from Italy and she has the most incredible life! Not only has she met Prince Ali and Jagged Stone, but she’s also met Ladybug! Ladybug saved her! Lila even gave me an exclusive-”

“When did she arrive in Paris? Did she even mention-”

“Just yesterday!” Alya quickly responded, attempting to show Marinette the interview Lila gave her. Noticing that Alya had already posted it to the Ladyblog, Marinette made a note of telling Uncle Clark to hold on to the internship for now. “Look! Thanks to her-”

“So she just arrived yesterday for the first time in Paris-”

“Well, we don’t know if first-”

“-first time in Paris after the appearance of Ladybug.” Marinette continued. “And she claims to have been saved by Ladybug? If memory serves me correctly, there wasn’t any akuma yesterday, meaning no patrol from Ladybug. So then the question is: how did she claim to have met Ladybug -nonetheless supposedly save her- if Ladybug wasn’t around?”

Marinette watched as Alya opened her mouth to try and come up with some type of answer, but nothing came up. “Did you really just accept her story without even fact checking?”

“But Lila knows-”

“There’s a difference between recognizing and knowing. And it seems that Lila recognizes Ladybug and her importance to Paris, meaning she may not fully know who Ladybug truly is because if she did,” Marinette narrowed her eyes. “She would know Ladybug doesn’t like it when someone spreads rumors about her. That includes people who use her name for a bit of limelight.” 

Marinette made her way towards class, not caring if Alya called her to come back. 

From the corner of her eye, she watched as Lila dragged Adrien to the library, Marinette shaking her head. That poor boy. Welp, not her problem.

“Marinette! Something’s off.” Tikki stopped her, Marinette wondering what she sensed.

“You too?” Tikki nodded.

“And it’s close.” Marinette huffed, dragging her hands down her face. “Does this happen to have anything to do with Lila?”

“I’m not sure, but we have to follow her.” Tikki commanded, Marinette bracing herself for the worse.

* * *

Marinette looked at the book in her hands, quickly recognizing the language inscribed in the front cover.

While Marinette hated every minute she sat in that library, listening to Lila try to get Adrien to fall for her, Marinette was glad that something good came from it. When Adrien had dropped the book, Lila dragging it towards her with her food, Marinette used that moment to grab the book and run.

Once in her room, she quickly scanned each page before dashing around her room in search of a notebook. She’s definitely seen this writing before.

“What do you mean you know this language? Only the Guardian should know-”

“My brother adored learning languages, even the obscure ones. Whenever we would have a day off from school, he would go to our father’s library and stay there all day.” Tikki watches as a soft smile formed on Marinette’s face as she said so. “He would be there all day, deciphering old languages, ecstatic when he would decipher one correctly that had stumped researchers for years.” Tikki watched as Marinette pulled out a notebook from an old trunk, Tikki wondering how she never noticed how out of place it seemed in Marinette’s room.

“Brother? Do you have another family?” Tikki asked, wondering if she even knew the Marinette in front of her. She would only mention a brother if it meant she had more family elsewhere. If so, what was she doing here in Paris? And by herself?

“Back in Gotham, I have another family.” Marinette softly said, running a hand over the notebook placed on her desk. “Jason, he was the one who wanted to become a linguist and the one who stumbled upon this writing.” 

Tikki watched as Marinette opened up the notebook, her eyes widening as Marinette flipped through pages and pages of translations, finally stopping at the beginning of a section with the same writing as in the grimoire. 

“He managed to translate all of this from a simple sample of this very book?” Tikki asked in amazement, watching as Marinette began to translate the book with ease.

“He was just that amazing.” Tikki noticed her smile drop, a frown taking over. 

Was. That’s the second time she said that word. “By the way Tikki, why is this book so important?” Tikki took the change of topic with ease, knowing to not pry into Marinette’s past. 

Right now wasn’t the time.

“This grimoire is a book of spells that not only enhance your abilities, but unlocks the abilities of us kwamis. The Guardian has been looking for this very book for years! He had lost it decades ago-”

“Lost? And hold on a minute. Is this the only book or are there more that talks about the kwami and miraculouses?” When Tikki nodded, Marinette let out a sigh. Good. She didn’t want to go on a mission to retrieve another one. Who knows what would have happened to Amira’s sanity if she had to do so.

“Now that we finally have the book, we have to give it to the-”

“No.” Marinette interjected, grabbing the book.

“No? Marinette! This is very valuable information that the Guardian-”

“You said the Guardian lost it and yet here it is, in a civilian’s hand years later. Don’t you realize what this can mean?” When Marinette saw Tikki shrug, she laughed, opening up a draw in her vanity, pulling out a small case. 

Tikki watched as Marinette carefully placed some devices around the device, windows appearing on Marinette’s desktop that noted the location of the grimoire.

Just who was this girl? “Alright.” Marinette turned to Tikki, a smirk on her face. “How about we return this grimoire to its owner?”

* * *

“Well, if it isn’t Lila Rossi.” Ladybug said with a chilling smile, Lila feeling a chill run down her spine. 

After talking with Adrien in the library, Lila thought her plans were sailing smoothly until she realized that she had lost the book she took from Adrien.

She spent the rest of the day searching for that damn book, panicking when Adrien had reached into his bag when Lila had mentioned being the descendant of a superhero named Volpina. Even with a necklace greatly resembling the one in the book, she didn’t have Adrien’s complete trust. How naive she was.

Then to make her day even worse, Ladybug popped in.

“Hey Ladybug! How-”

“Can I have a word with you?” Ladybug asked, Adrien startstrucked with Ladybug even being near him, watching as the two girls went off to the other side of the park. “Listen Lila, I suggest you stop giving Alya interviews about supposedly being friends with me. Better yet, stop claiming to know me when you don’t.”

“I just-”

“Lila, I’m doing this to protect you. To protect everyone. You claiming you know me will put your life at risk and those around you. I don’t know how things worked over in Italy, but-”

“How do you-”

“I got my ways.” Ladybug said, looking at her yo-yo for the time. “Also, piece of advice? You don’t gotta lie to make friends as Dupont. Everyone is pretty much eager to make a new friend, no matter how shut off the person is.”

“How-”

“Like I said before, I got my ways.” Lila watched as Ladybug took her hair into her hands. “One more thing. Change your hairstyle a bit and that romper? Hideous. You’ll look cuter than what you already do if you work on those two things. Oh! Before I forget.” Ladybug handed over the grimoire to Lila. “Think this belongs to your friend over there. There was a picture of a woman who looked like him, so I thought it would be his. If it turns out that it isn’t, don’t hesitate to give it back the next time you see me! Bug out!”

With that, Lila watched Ladybug leave, going back to Adrien with the grimoire in her hands.

“Lila, what did-my book!”

“Ladybug found it and managed to know it was yours.” Lila said, her eyes dazed off to who knows where. 

“Hey Lila, you alright? You seem kind of red.” Lila quickly placed her hands on her cheeks, finally registering that her face was on fire.

* * *

The next day at school, Marinette relaxed upon setting foot, happy to have the old atmosphere back.

But she spoke a bit too soon.

Class went how it usually went, Marinette taking down boring notes as their teacher explained the powerpoints. Too bad the notes were part of her grades or else she would’ve dozed off.

Half the day came and went, history class now their last one.

For this week’s project, everyone had to choose someone they admired, many of her classmates choosing their idols.

Surprisingly, Max had chosen Lex Luthor while Alya chose Lois Lane. What really caught her attention was when Adrien went up and instead of talking about his father, he spoke of hers: Bruce Wayne.

With each of her father’s organizations and charities mentioned, Marinette’s smile grew wider. Seems like he did his research. Everything was going swell until the final portion of the report came in. 

If you can meet your idol, what would you do? 

“To be honest, I think I would tell him to work on his promises.” Adrien said, causing Marinette to snap from her trance.

“Why do you say that Adrien?” Ms.Bustier asked, her pen already on her paper, ready to jot down whatever was to be said.

“I was supposed to have met him last year, my father sending me to represent us during last year’s party. Father told me I was going to speak to him but I never saw him that evening. I ended up-”

“-it’s because Mister Wayne couldn’t be there that day due to personal reasons.” Marinette interrupted, gathering everyone’s attention.

“Marinette. Adrien-” Ms.Bustier called out, only to get cut off by the girl.

“Adrien doesn’t know the full story.” Marinette said, feeling her hands tremble as they curled. She felt her nails attempt to calm her down. “He didn’t do enough research to know-”

“I didn’t need to. I was there.” Adrien barked back. “Why would I need to research something I-”

“Just because you were there doesn’t mean you know the whole story!” Marinette yelled, pushing herself off her seat, causing her weight to push her palms into her nails even more.

“There was-”

“If you had done your damn job properly, then you would know why Bruce wasn’t there that gala! You would know what that gala meant to him! Hell, I bet you don’t even remember the purpose of that gala!”

“I do know why-”

“Then tell me! Enlighten me, Mr.I-Don’t-Need-To-Know-The-Whole-Story!” Marinette yelled, ignoring the tugs from Alya, the whispers towards her and the tiny hushes from Ms.Bustier.

“The gala was to celebrate the start of the Catherine Todd Foundation.” Adrien informed, looking at Marinette for confirmation. He found none, instead finding disappointment. “That’s what the whole-”

“That’s it?” A dry laugh came from Marinette, scaring everyone. “The Catherine Todd Foundation was more than a foundation. More than a foundation for the people of Gotham who suffered from mental illnesses and addiction. It was the foundation my brother spent months talking about with our father.” Marinette growled, making her way down the steps. “My brother spent months planning his speech about the foundation named after his beloved mother. It was something he looked forward to. Something he was proud of.”

“Then why wasn’t-”

“Because he died eight months before the launch of it!” Marinette yelled, tears rolling down her face. Scattered gasps and whispers sprouted around the classroom. “My brother died months before he can see one of his own dreams come true! He died before he could see his dream blossom into hope! Hope that he wanted to give to the children of Gotham who went through the same shit he did!”

Marinette stood in front of Adrien, her tears staining her shirt. Adrien tried to look away, but Marinette forced him to look at her.

“Our father had yet to recover from my brother’s death and when it came time for the scheduled gala, he just couldn’t bear to show his face. Everything reminded him of Jason. Dad couldn’t handle the pain, so he never showed up!” Marinette let go of Adrien, letting her arm drop to her side. 

“Jason Todd made the Catherine Todd Foundation possible. I was proud of him for overcoming his past. He helped me fix my relationship with our dad...and with our older brother Richard.”

“Marinette...I’m-”

“I don’t want your apology.” Marinette said, wiping away her tears. “Clearly, you’ve made it known that you rely on everything being fed to you. You don’t question anything thrown your direction. You don’t make an effort to learn more...to investigate.”

“Marinette. I had no idea-”

“Save it.” She cut off. “Until you change your perspective, I’ll have you know that as of now, Wayne Enterprises is no longer to work with Agreste.”

Adrien gaped at that declaration, holding her back when Marinette tried to leave.

“What do you mean Wayne Enterprise will no longer work with Agreste? Who exactly-”

“I meant what I said. And as a Wayne myself, I too have the authority to cut off any ties with companies I deem unworthy to invest on.”

A snort came from across the room, Marinette narrowing her eyes on Chloe. “What’s so funny?”

“You, Dupain-Cheng.” Chloe rose from her seat, pretending to dust off her pants. “Did you hit your head or something? Clearly you must have if you think-”

“I am a Wayne.” Marinette said, taking out her wallet and handing Chloe a card, watching the mayor’s daughter pale considerably. “If you don’t believe me, that’s fine. But let this be known. This will be the last time you ever know me as Marinette Dupain-Cheng. From now on, I’ll stop hiding behind a mask and take the name I have the right to say. 

My name is Amira Wayne and this is the last time you’ll ever see me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should start doing this more often: 
> 
> You can also find my works on [Tumblr ](https://anjuschiffer.tumblr.com/post/613252456740274176/maribat-works-masterlist)as well!


	4. Discovery - Self Indulgent Writing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While working on Chapter 20 of Amira Wayne...I remembered that Santa Claus in an actual canon character in both the DC Universe and ML, so I thought...what would happen if Wally met him? In other words, here’s some self-indulgent writing because this idea was in my head rent free...enjoy!

Christmas Eve with friends was a first for Amira, so when Chloe invited Amira for a Christmas Party at the hotel, Amira quickly agreed.

Of course, she asked her father for permission, who couldn’t dare say no to Amira, especially when he saw how excited she was for it. While he allowed Amira to go, he told her that she must bring someone else with her, expecting her to take Dick or Tim. 

He didn’t expect her to take Wally with her, but when he told her to take someone else, he couldn’t bear to see Amira upset. So reluctantly, he let it slide.

The two ended up arriving on time, Amira reminding Wally to call her by her undercover name before entering the hotel and gaping in awe at the decorations.

While red and gold, the lounge of the hotel was impeccable, Chloe’s suite even more. While the Christmas tree was only seven feet in height, it was elegantly decorated, Amira admiring the simple gold and silver decorations on it.

After introducing Wally to her friends, everyone started to play video games with each other, sharing stories and eating food in comfort.

No one was sure how it started, but the gang then found themselves debating about the existence of Santa Claus. They knew that before the debate, they were talking about the age they stopped believing in the jolly fat man, except for Nino. 

Nino never believed in him from the beginning. Hell, he didn’t celebrate Christmas.

It led to Marinette admitting that she still believed in Santa despite almost turning 14 years old. One thing led to another and both her and Wally were debating the man’s existence. So far, Wally had been making pretty convincing arguments.

Chloe watched as Marinette pouted as Wally started to wrap up his rant.

“So in conclusion, he can’t exist. As long as there isn't any solid evidence to prove that Santa Claus is real, he’s just a legend.”

“He’s real!” Marinette cried, having to tippy toe to square up with Wally. She really didn’t think he would win this argument. Out of all debates, why this one? “Santa is real! I mean, who else would leave the presents under the tree when the clock strikes midnight?” Marinette countered, earning laughs around her. Her cheeks glowed red. “I’m being serious!” She whined, recalling the time she found presents under the tree despite everyone in her family being in the Batcave.

Even Alfred was there, meaning someone else had to have been the one to place the gifts under the tree.

“Come on Baguette.” Adrien managed to calm himself down, feeling Nino’s quaking hand on his shoulder. “Even I know he isn’t real!”

“Wal’s got a point Dudette,” Nino said, sipping on his hot chocolate to compose himself. While he may not celebrate Christmas, he couldn’t deny spending time with his friends...and getting to drink hot choco all night long. “How exactly do you believe in something that you can’t actually see?”

“But he’s real!” Marinette whined, slumping onto a bean bag. How exactly can she convince them? She can’t exactly just ask Uncle Clark for his anecdote...how he helped Santa deliver gifts after the poor man was targeted by some folks on the naught list.

She couldn’t even tell them how she actually knew the man! After all, she promised him she wouldn’t tell.

“Don’t stress about it too much.” Sabrina tried to ease her up, patting her knee. “I thought he was still real up until I was 10.” As entertaining it was to see Wally go head to head with their otherwise stoic friend, Sabrina didn’t want this debate to drag out any further. 

Then again, it was rare to see this side of Marinette. To think Wally could drag this out of her...

“Not. Helping.” Marinette huffed out. Wally smirked upon seeing Amira’s defeat. He had to admit, while his win was over a silly topic, he was proud to have finally won a debate against Amira. He couldn’t wait to-

“I can prove it.” Marinette said out of nowhere, everyone looking at her.

“Dupain-Cheng, why are you so insistent on-”

“Because he’s real and I can prove it.” Marinette said confidently, quickly getting up and searched for...something. “Chloe, do you have an extra stocking?”

“Think I do.” Chloe quickly went in search of one, managing to find her old one from last year. Giving her friend a quick thanks, Marinette got to work, removing Chloe’s name and embroidering Wally’s. Chloe managed to catch a soft pink tinting said boy’s cheeks, a smirk finding its way to her face.

“Chole, think we could move the party downstairs?” Chloe scoffed as she lost her opportunity to capture the moment.

“Of course we can.” Marinette smiled, the stocking held tightly against her chest.

“Thanks Chloe! Now, let’s prepare for a stake out! After all, Santa only comes when you’re asleep!”

They were going to attempt to catch Santa Claus in the act?

* * *

For once, Adrien was glad for Ladybird’s militaristic training...even if this wasn’t the way he thought he was going to end up using her training for.

On his stomach, Adrien carefully took slow, yet deep breathes, making anyone who saw him think he was asleep. But he wasn’t the only one who was in that position, for everyone was on their guard, looking at the stocking over the fireplace.

While they didn’t plan to pretend to be asleep at midnight, everyone wanted to see if Marinette’s crazy idea was going to turn out.

Even Chloe thought it was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!

As if on cue, Adrien heard the sound of bells ringing in the distance, more specifically,  _ jingle  _ bells. Seems like he wasn’t the only one as he heard some shuffling between his friends ‘sleeping’ around him.

The bells’ ringing came to a quiet echo, Adrien straining his ears in search of the sound. But instead of bells, he heard a grunt, causing him to hitch his breath. 

He watched as soot started to trickle down the chimney, his eyes almost bulging out when he saw-

“Santa!” Marinette cheered out, scaring the living lights out of the man in red.

“Goodness child! Shouldn’t you-oh! I remember you!” Santa said with a smile, causing everyone to freeze but Marinette. “What are you doing in Paris?” They knew each other?

“Studying!” Amira easily told, knowing that Santa could pick up any lies told to him. “My father thought it would be a good idea for me to study in Paris for a change in scenery.” Again, not a complete lie. She watched as Santa gave her a smile, patting her head. 

“At least you tell the truth, unlike your friends over there.” Santa looked over at the group. “Yes, I knew you were all awake even before I got here.” He watched as they stood up one by one, like gophers popping out of their burrows.

Seeing as they were caught, Wally walked up to the man, circling around him before standing in front of him. He then turned to Amira.

“Was this planned?” She gaped at him.

“Wally!” She smacked his shoulder. “How rude! I didn’t plan this!” 

“How do I know he isn’t just some rando you hired to-” Wally started, scanning the small man from head to toe. 

“Wally!” She hissed, not believing that Wally couldn’t accept the fact that the man in front of him was  _ the  _ Santa Claus. She then turned to Santa Claus. “I’m sorry for causing you trouble! I know I wasn’t suppose to-”

“It’s alright.” Santa assured, turning to Wally. “Apparently seeing doesn’t always mean believing, but perhaps, this will convince him.” Reaching into his pocket, Chloe, Adrien, Nino and Sabrina watched as Santa took out a box, a bow carefully placed on top of it. Wally watched as it was placed into his hands, his hands shifting thanks to the weight of the box.

“How exactly is this-” Wally was about to ask, only for Amira to glare at him. He promptly shut his mouth. 

“I know I’ve held you back, but thank you.” Amira bowed, giving Santa Claus a plate of cookies. “They’re homemade!” She quickly added, getting a smile from the jolly man. 

“Thank you very much, young lady.” Santa tapped on the plate, the cookies vanishing before the group’s eyes. “I will make sure to savor them fully on my way over to-”

“Are you possibly heading to the US next?” Marinette quickly asked, checking her pockets for something. “If it’s alright, can you give these to Uncle Clark? He should be in Smallville with his folks. Of course, if you can’t-”

“I will make sure he gets his gift. It’s the least I can do for one of the children on top of my good list.” Santa said with pride, Marinette grinning. “Well then, I wish you all a Merry Christmas! Until next year!”

With that, the man disappeared with a poof, jingle bells being heard once again.

Everyone remained still as they tried to process what just happened. Marinette held in a giggle when she saw Nino trying so hard to understand what happened in front of him.

“He’s...real.” Nino managed to say, looking at Marinette. “And you’ve met him before...how?”

“Like he said, I’m one of the few kids at the top of the good list.” Marinette watched as Wally decided to open up his gift. “Around three years ago, I wrote to him that I wished to meet him personally and I did!”

“Coal?” Wally was in disbelief. “He gave me coal?” He gritted, not believing that the hero of many ended up giving him coal on Christmas Day. Coal!

Seeing no real use for the fossil fuel, Wally was ready to throw the coal into the fireplace, only to be stopped by Amira. 

“Don’t throw it!”

“He gave me coal! It could serve its purpose in the fire!”

“It’s not coal!”

“Prove it!” Wally challenged, watching as Amira took the coal with a scrunched face. Even when she was mad, she always managed to look cute.

Carefully observing it, she brought it up to her face, a small huff escaping her as she started to pick at the piece of coal.

Everyone watched with bated breath as she started to peel off what seemed to be layers of tin foil before ending up at the last one, revealing rocks inside the supposed piece of coal.

“Great, so it wasn’t coal, but rocks. Like if that’s- hey! What are you-” Wally yelled as he watched Amira pick a rock up, smile and placed it in her mouth.

“Marinette!” “Mi!” “Spit it out!” Chloe, Wally and Sabrina yelled, Adrien simply taking in the fact that Marinette literally just placed a piece of rock into her mouth while Nino started to panic.

“It’s chocolate.” She simply defended herself, putting more into her mouth.

“Not buying it!” Nino yelled, Sabrina and Chloe trying to pry Marinette’s mouth open to make sure a rock wasn’t her cause of death.

“I’m being serious!”

“It’s clearly a damn rock!” Wally managed to place his hands on either side of Amira’s face.

“Then eat one!” Marinette yelled, attempting to place one inside his mouth, only to fail when Wally kept dodging them. It was then Amira’s turn to place her hands on either side of his face.

“No way in-” Wally heard gasps as his lips crashed against Amira’s, his mind going blank as he watched her pull herself back, her face flushed as she tried to keep her face stern. “It. Is. Chocolate.” He managed to say, bringing his hand to his lips, only then realizing what actually happened.

He turned to the others, needing confirmation of what happened, only to find Chloe smirking, Adrien flushed pink and Sabrina recording.

He turned back to Amira, finding her now avoiding his gaze. Did...did she think- “Hey.” Wally softly said, taking Amira’s hand into his.

He watched as she looked at their linked hands, her gaze lifting to meet his eyes. “I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while.” He cupped Amira’s face, pulling himself towards her, watching as she blushed as their faces were just a centimeter away from each other. “I like you.”

He quickly placed a chaste kiss on her lips, only for Amira to pull him back to her, Wally melting into the gesture.

The two parted from each other, then remembering they had an audience the entire time, Amira hiding her face into Wally’s shirt.

“Get a room next time! Some of us are still single!”


End file.
